SDUSD budget: big deficit with some good news

Amid the $75 million deficit to next year’s San Diego Unified School District’s $1.1 billion operating budget is good news: lower class sizes in the earliest grades; high school graduation coaches; and new math textbooks for secondary schools.

Superintendent Cindy Marten released a 2014-15 spending plan Tuesday, a document she says puts a new priority on students and schools — with help from new state revenue.

The district would use $25 million in new state education funds to lower class size in kindergarten through third-grades from 27 students to 25.5, as well as other new programs. Marten’s proposal also includes the purchase of secondary math textbooks that tie in with state’s new Common Core academic standards, and graduation coaches for high schools.

The preliminary budget strategy would close the bulk of the budget gap with $51 million from the sale of surplus real estate. A cut in central-office spending, reductions in the use of temporary teachers and other changes to hiring policies, a delay in some maintenance projects, and other cost-cutting measures are expected to generate the remainder of the savings.

“We are not out of it yet. We still have this deficit, but it’s getting better,” said San Diego Unified CFO Jenny Salked.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s state budget proposal includes an effort to pay off the state’s $6.1 billion debt to public schools. Brown’s new education funding system directs more funding to districts with the highest percentage of disadvantaged students.

The governor will require districts to tap parent and other stakeholder input before developing final budget plans. San Diego Unified plans to hold five community forums in February and March. Districts have until June 30 to adopt a final budget.

San Diego Unified must make good on the final leg of teacher raises and canceled furlough days tied to the labor contract that ends with June.

Teachers agreed to delay pay raises of about 7 percent that were set to be paid in the 2012-13 school year to save some 1,500 teaching jobs under an agreement reached in June 2012. Teachers also agreed to extend furlough days to help the district cope with the state’s fiscal crisis.

Under the labor pact, San Diego Unified is required to use a portion of new state money to restore raises and cancel furloughs. Marten expects to eliminate a furlough day this school year, and the final one next year.